


nelson's sparrow

by rwdaf



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: FBI AU, M/M, criminal minds - Freeform, tw death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 05:18:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15503160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rwdaf/pseuds/rwdaf
Summary: recently joining the FBI's behavioral analysis unit, dan and phil find themselves dealing with their first case.





	nelson's sparrow

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by [this](https://www.netflix.com/watch/80066876?trackId=14170289&tctx=0%2C12%2C51d890c5-4cdd-45a7-846d-b52f73da0b55-205412533%2C41bae476-382d-4e14-b215-1a8b4d0a8edf_96209129X3XX1533010852314%2C41bae476-382d-4e14-b215-1a8b4d0a8edf_ROOT) episode of Criminal Minds (Season 10, Episode 13). 
> 
> this was written originally for the phandomgames and big thanks to @jorzuela (tumblr) for editing this for me!

_"This is the third one in the last two weeks, Dan!" Phil said exhausted as the two stood in the rain, "How can you expect this to be just a coincidence? Three dead bodies don't just appear the same remote area."_

_The nights of the small town used to be safe. Teenagers would roam the streets freely, hooting and chewing on bubblegum, having the times of their lives. No one would have to worry about how things would end before the sun came up, and that's how it should be._

_However, the town became a nightmare to live in shortly after the summer. The nights were filled with terror and an unsettling atmosphere that caused many to put more locks on their door to feel secure at night. A few, took the drastic measure of bolting their windows shut in case someone tried to come in that way._

_"Phil we don't know that! You know we can't take risks like this. Especially being this new to the job." Dan stared at him._

_Recently, the two had completed their training and joined the FBI, specifically the BAU, or behavioral analysis unit. Their assigned task was to make psychological profiles, using the field of behavioral science, to figure out who committed the crime and their motive. Their analysis was essential in federal investigations to shorten the time it took to track their perp._

_"Dan please." Phil pleaded, "Let's - just look through everything one last time. Please?"_

_Deep down Phil knew something was wrong, and that the town was in danger. He knew that a sociopath, was here and they needed to be stopped._

_-_

The rain came pouring down onto the roof of the small coffee shop the two sat in. It was the kind of coffee shop that has a homely feeling to it, reminding the patrons to take things easy. Something those two just couldn't do, and, for once, they didn't mind.

Lights dimly lit the place.They sat at the largest table in the far corner, papers spread out all over its surface. There were too many data charts and personal notes in the collection and Dan was getting tired of going through them.

"Phil, just explain it to me." He sighed.

Looking up from the crime scene photos, Phil shook his head. Taking a drink of his coffee as he moved into the booth beside Dan, he hastily put everything into organised categories, crime scene photos, notes, and whatever else he could separate into small piles. Dan watched him maneuver the papers and rubbed his eyes.

"Okay Dan, look at this." Phil grabbed three different crime scene photos. "Jamie Riley, she was the first victim the unsub taunted us with. Lo-"

"Unsub?" Dan interrupted and stared at him.

"Unknown subject. Now pay attention." Phil said shaking his head. "Look at her wrists and her ankles."

Dan took the photo and looked at it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except for the obvious in this case.

"I don't see anything Phil. I'm sorry."

Phil grabbed his phone and turned the flashlight shining the light onto the photograph. Faint lines showed around her wrists and ankles and Dan understood this time.

  
" _Ligature marks,_ " Dan looked at Phil and back to the photo.

"Exactly Dan. They were fading so the unsub undid her restraints and must have let her free for a while. And -" Reaching over, Phil dug through to find Jamie's forensic report - "She had skin under her nails and defensive wounds on her hands."

"She fought back," Dan mumbled and looked at the report as well. "What about the toxicology report?"

"It was clean. There was nothing in her system, and if it was, it wasn't detected." Phil said.

What they knew about the first victim wasn't much. Jamie Riley, recently turned twenty-three, she was heading back to university the following week to the time of her murder.

"I don't get why he targeted her, that's the issue. She was a well brought up girl who didn't seem to bother anyone."

Phil stood up moving all the papers to the side carefully.Making sure none were knocked over, he spread three of the crime scene photos out.

"They're all brunettes," Dan mumbled.

"Sadly so. But, look, I bet if we look carefully at each one of them, we'll find ligature marks."

Over the next few hours the two re-studied every piece of evidence. They went over everything they had multiple times, writing down anything new that they had noticed. The clock was ticking down, and they knew they had to figure something out. They had yet to detect any kind of pattern to indicate when the unsub would strike next.

Pacing back and forth, Dan rubbed his eyes. "Anything new?"

"No, I -" Phil stopped in his tracks and stared at the photo. "Hold on,". He quickly started to dig through the police and crime scene reports.

"Phil?" Dan stared at him.

"Okay, okay. At each crime scene a small brown bird was found - look," He said showing Dan the photos. They shared a look. "That's his signature. The birds."

A signature was something that would set this unsub apart from others. Something that only _he_ would do. There was always a deeper meaning behind their signature, they just had to figure it out. Why was it a small bird? That type of bird was known as a 'Nelson's Sparrow'.

"So he's leaving sparrows at the crime scene?" Dan shook his head.

"They were severely malnourished," Phil mumbled looking through the forensics reports again. "But they had a high source of something in their bodies." Phil read over the reports once again, "That doesn't make any sense," he muttered.

"What?"

"It says seeds were found in all the victims' stomachs." Phil said looking at Dan.

"Se-" Dan was cut off by the chime of the shop door opening. It was vacant except for the few people still working their shift and the two boys in the back. A woman, who was no more than in her early forties walked in. Dan noticed that she had a distressed look on her face and she was coming towards them.

"Sir?" She said shakily. "My daughter is missing, please I need your help." Dan sighed as her voice cracked, tears forming in her eyes. He looked at Phil and back to the woman.

"Have you got ahold of the police?" Dan asked gently.

"Yes, but they aren't helping me!"

"If there is no police investigation I'm afraid we can't be of any help." Phil said with a heavy heart.

"Why aren't they?" Dan asked her.

"They said she was probably just a runaway." The woman fiddled with a picture in her hands. "Lisa has ran off a few times before, but it was only because her father is violent and police had been called to the house."

Phil sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, there isn't much that we can do."

"I'm not the best mother, I know that, but she didn't just run off." Fat tears started to fall from her eyes. "Here, just keep this. Please?"

She handed Dan a high school picture of her daughter and rushed off sniffling.

"Dan, you can't keep that." Phil said looking back at everything they had.

Dan started at the picture and his heart dropped just a bit from realising the possibilities.

"Phil she's a brunette."

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i hope you enjoyed this and if you like you can follow me over on tumblr [@rwdaf](https://rwdaf.tumblr.com) for any/all updates when i upload next!


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